Oceans of Water Deep Beneath the Earth? | The Institute for Creation Research

Oceans of Water Deep Beneath the Earth?

We should not imagine subterranean oceans as depicted in Jules Verne’s classic novel Journey to the Center of the Earth, but scientists keep finding evidence for vast amounts of water far below the surface in the form of hydrated minerals. The newfound waters are causing quite a stir.

Geologists publishing in Science compared differences in the velocity of seismic energy passing beneath the western U.S. to models that predict water’s effects on seismic waves.1 They found good agreement between the models and actual recorded data, so it appears that disseminated water in the “transition zone” near the top of earth’s lower mantle—approximately 250-410 miles beneath the surface—slows seismic waves. Areas where seismic waves travel faster are thought to hold less water.

Certain minerals in the mantle can incorporate water molecules into their structure. The Science study authors concluded that the thick, low-velocity zones must represent hydrated minerals. Earlier research already found a hydrated mineral trapped inside a diamond that formed at great depth, as well as hydrated moon-rock minerals.2,3 The volume of water within the top of Earth’s lower mantle minerals would yield enough water to form entire new oceans. Who would have thought there was that much water so far below our feet?

These mantle waters could represent residual waters “of the great deep” that burst through the crust and onto Earth’s surface to initiate Noah’s year-long Flood, according to Genesis 7:11. Although some may suggest other explanations for the water, it complements Scripture’s general reference to waters deep beneath the earth.

If this evidence supports the Bible, it also challenges textbook Earth-formation scenarios. Secularists face a tough enough challenge in trying to explain how oceans of water came from molten rock. They imagine hydrated minerals from space rocks collided to form Earth, but the heat from those collisions would have pushed out the water. Now they have to explain this newly discovered deep water origin in addition to the vast amount in the world’s surface oceans.

Biblical scientists do not arbitrarily discount miracles, so they remain open to the possibility that God placed all this water on and in the earth just how He described it.

References

  1. Schamndt, B. et al. 2014. Dehydration melting at the top of the lower mantle. Science. 344 (6189): 1265-1268.
  2. Thomas, B. Water Deep in Earth’s Mantle. Creation Science Update. Posted on icr.org April 4, 2014, accessed June 23, 2014.
  3. Thomas, B. Water in Rocks May Support Moon’s Bible Origins. Creation Science Update. Posted on icr.org September 25, 2013, accessed June 23, 2014.
  4. See Genesis 1:1 and 2 Peter 3:5.

*Mr. Thomas is Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research.

Article posted on June 27, 2014.

The Latest
NEWS
God's Memorial Day
“And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of...

NEWS
How Did Earth Get Its Water?
Earth’s oceans contain 321 million cubic miles (1.335 billion cubic kilometers) of water. The moon causes ebb and flow of tides twice in a 24-hour...

NEWS
The Origin of Eukaryotes
Eukaryotes are multicellular organisms that contain diverse differentiated cell types. Within almost every cell there are subcellular compartments called...

CREATION PODCAST
Water vs. Wind: The Controversial Coconino | The Creation Podcast:...
Welcome to the sixth episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old...

NEWS
Fossil Fish Finally Filmed
The bizarre lobe-finned coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) “that flourished some 350 million years ago”1 continues to be a thorn...

NEWS
The Mosasaur: A Giant Sea Dragon
Mosasaurs (order Squamata) were massive marine lizards that were common in the pre-Flood oceans. Therefore, it is not surprising that their fossils...

DAYS OF PRAISE DEVOTIONALS
Summer 2025
...

NEWS
Was Life Detected on a Distant Planet?
There was celebration, albeit briefly, for the discovery of potential life on a planet called K2-18b, which is 124 lightyears away from Earth. The...

NEWS
Ichthyosaur Graveyard Explained by the Flood
Ichthyosaurs are marine reptiles that occur globally in the same rock layers as dinosaurs. Specimens with babies support the idea that they gave live...

CREATION PODCAST
What Do We Do With Geology's Unconforming Features? | The Creation...
Welcome to the fifth episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old...